Cabinet or filing-tray



E. OHNSTRAND.

CABINET 0R FILING TRAY..

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 17 1919.

1,354,510, I Patented Oct. 5, 1920.

4- SHEETS-SHEET I.

E. O HNSTRAND.

CABINET 0R FILING TRAY.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 17. 1919.

1,354,51 O, Patented Oct. 5, 1920.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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E. OHNSTRAND. CABINET 0R FILING TRAY.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 11. 1919.

1,354,510, Patented Oct. 5, 1920.

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CABINET 0R FILING TRAY.

APPLICATION FILED Nov. 11, 1919.

Patented 001;. 5,1920.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

UNETED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ENOCI-I GHNSIR-AND, (3F IVIOE-IA'VVK, NEW] YORK, ASSIGIIOR TO LIBRARY BUREAU, OF CAMBRIDGE, IvIASSACIlJSETIS, GGRZ L'E RATION 13F NETV JERSEY.

CABINET, on FILING-TRAY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 5, 1920.

Application filed November 17, 1918. Serial No. 338,586.

To (til 10 7mm z't may concern:

Be it known that I, ENooH OHNSTRAND, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Mohawk, in the county of Herkimer and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Cabinets or F iling-Trays, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a filing cabinet or tray, and more particularly to a steel cabinet or tray for holding large sheets or cards, so constructed as to enable the contents to be readily and conveniently consulted. p

The cabinet herein illustrated as an exemplificat-ion of the invention is especially designed as a ledger cabinet or tray for filing ledger cards or sheets. The invention is by no means limited to that particular use, however, but is applicable to filing cabinets or trays generally, and is especially useful when the cards, sheets, folders, or other filed contents,are of large size. Cabinets or trays for filing ledger cards, or other large sheets or cards, must of necessity be of considerable depth. If the side walls of the tray extend high up toward the tops of the cards or sheets, the lower part of the tray is rendered dark and the side walls also obstruct a view of the lower parts of the sheets excepting from directly above the tray.

To avoid these difiiculties it has been a common expedient to cut down the side walls or panels of the tray to a height substantially less than that of the end walls, but this construction leaves the sides of the tray open to dust and dirt unless the tray is stored as a drawer in a closed casing. It has also been proposed to hinge one of the side walls or panels in such manner that it may be swung downward like a lid, thus opening the side of the tray to admit light and alford a better view of the contents; but this renders the tray awkward to handle, as the hinged side must be held in place while the cover is being placed on the tray, and also requires too much space for the tray because the side panel cannot be swung on its hinge if another cabinet or some other article is close beside it.

The principal object of this invention is to overcome these difficulties by producing a drop-side cabinet or tray, easy to manipulate, and so constructed as to permit the contents to be consulted with a minimum of effort and inconvenience.

The invention will now be described in connection with one illustrative species of the genus of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the imprpved tray with the cover in position; I

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the tray with the cover removed and the side of the tray raised;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view similar to Fig. 2 but showing the side of the tray lowered to allow the ledger cards to be easily consulted;

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view of the tray taken on a line innnediately in front of the rear end panel of the tray;

is a detail section through the side panel of the tray showing the movable side panel in its raised position;

6 is a detail section similar to Fig. 5 but showing the side panel lowered;

Fig. 7 is a detail section through the front end panel of the tray;

Fig. 8 is a section taken on line 8-8 of Fig. 7 5

Fig. 9 is a section taken on line 99 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 10 is a detail of an upper corner of the movable side panel;

Fig. 11 is a detail of a modified construction of a wall panel for the tray;

Fig. 12 is a section on line 12-12 of Fig. d Y

Fig. is a detail sectional view, corresponding to Fig. 5, showing a modification; and Fig. 1a is a detail sectional view of the modification of Fig. 13, showing the movable side panel in its lowered position.

Referring to the drawings a cabinet or tray is shown at T having a removable cover C. The tray T and cover 0 are preferably made of sheet steel thereby assuring the contents of protection by fire or water. The cover C is provided with an interior flange 41 adapted to rest on the upper edge of the tray and this flange is cut away at 42 to receive the tray follower hereinafter described.

The tray comprises a forward end panel 1 and a rear end panel 2 united by side panels 3 and 4- and a bottom panel 5. The

against damage side and bottom panels are preferably bent up from a single sheet of material, the bottom panel 5 being bent in its central region to form a depressed channel 6, and being bent at its juncture with the side panels to form the channels 7 and 8. The side panels are united to the end panels by interlocking seams 9 and 10 most clearly shown in Figs. 8 and 9. The lower edges of the end panels are bent inwardly and upwardly to form channels 11 and to provide means for supporting the ends of the bottom panel, the bottom panel being secured to the in. wardly extending portion 12 of the end panelsas by riveting or welding.

Positioned withinthe tray and secured to the front panel 1 is a sloping false front member 13 having its lower edge bent as at 141 to rest against the bottom panel of the tray and to space the lower edge of the false front from the end panel 1. The upper edge of the member 13 is bent downwardly at 15 to embrace the bar 16. For securing the member 13 to the end panel 1, screws 17 are provided which pass through the end panel, the bent over edge 15 of member 13 and the bar 16. This construction not only affords'means for securing the false front member 13 but also serves to reinforce and stiffen the upper edge of the front panel. The end panel 1 is further reinforced by a plate 18 through which the bolts pass which retain the handle19 in position.

The rear panel 2 is provided with a reinforcing bar 20 on the inner face thereof provided with openings through which bolts 21 pass for securing a handle (not shown),

' similar to the handle 19, to the rear panel.

upwardly Also secured to the rear panel is a channel member 22 provided at either end with an extending curved finger 23 formed integrally therewith. These fingers are positioned respectively in the rear corners of the tray'and project slightly above the upper edge of the rearpanel 2, to serve I as guides for positioning the cover C and are provided with apertures 24; which are adapted to receive locking studs 25' positioned on the cover as shown in Fig. 41. Positioned on the panel 2 adjacent the side panel 3 is a sloping guide member 26 which extends from the bottom panel '5 to the lower side of the channel member 22 its outer edge lying flush with the inner wall of the channel 7 as shown in Figs. 5 and 6. This guide member comprises a bar 27 and a tubular member 28 riveted to the panel 7 2 by rivets 29.

The side panel 3 does not extend the full height of the tray, but is made low in I order that the ledger cards filed in the tray may be made more accessible and that light may not be cut off from the bottom of the cards. In order that this side of the tray edge of the side and end panels as shown may be entirely closed when not in use a slidable panel 30 is provided extending the entire length of the tray. This panel is provided along its lower edge with a groove 31 which may be formed in any suitable manner as by bending the lower edge of the panel as at 32 to form one wall of the groove and by securing a strip 33 to the back of the panel to form the other wall of the groove. The panel when in a raised position rests with its'groove 31 embracing the upper edge of the side panel 3, the walls of the groove cooperating with the upper edgeof the side panel and the shoulder 34 attached thereto to form a dustproof joint. The upward movement of the panel is limited by the stops 37 struck up from the fingers 23. The panel 30 may be lowered by raising it slightly to disengage its grooved edge from the upper edge of panel '3, when its lower edge may be'pushed inwardly slightly to allow the panel to drop behind the side panel 3. The sliding panel is guided in its, movement by the guide member 26 attached to the rear end panel and by the end of member 13 which is cut away slightly on the end adjacent the side panel 3. The panel 30 rests in the side channel 7 in its lowermost position as clearly shown in Fig. 6, the channel 7 permitting the lower edge of panel 30 to drop below the bottom panel of the tray.

The tray 1S provided with a shoulder extending entirely around it adjacent its upper the sliding panel 30. This shoulder may be conveniently formed by bending the upper in the modification disclosed'in Fig. 11. By thus bending the sheet metal the upper edge of the panel is reinforced and made smoother and at the same time the shoulder 35 is formed. 7

The tray is provided with a follower 38, a presser plate 39, and a rod 10, for holding and positioning the ledger cards and tab cards within the tray. These elements have not been disclosed in detail as they have been made the subject of another application filed concurrently herewith.

The modification shown in Figs. 13 and 1a is generally similar to the construction illustrated in the preceding parts, the corresponding parts being indicated by the same numerals primed. However, blisters 413, preferably in the form of struck-up tabs. are provided at each end of the channel 7 to keep the slidable panel 30 in a vertical position close to the side panel 31 when the slidable panel is in the lowered position shown in Fig. 14-. Furthermore, the strip 36 is folded differently to fit over the upperedge oi the slidable panel and the interlocking edges 32 and 33 are shaped difierently to provide a more effective joint between the two panels.

I claim:

1. filing cabinet or tray having a side panel mounted to slide up and down to increaseor reduce'the height of the side wall of the cabinet or tray, the side panel being so mounted as to permit a limited lateral movement.

2. .A filing cabinet or tray having a side panel formed in two sections, one section being fixed and the other section being mounted to slide up and down to increase or reduce the height of the side wall of the cabinet or tray, the movable panel being adapted to be disposed substantially in the plane of the fixed section when in its upper position.

3. A filing cabinet or tray having a side panel formed in two sections, one section being fixed and the other section being mounted to slide up and down to increase or reduce the height of the side wall of the cabinet or tray, and the bottom of the cabinet or tray having a channel adjacent to said fixed wall section into which the bottom edge of the sliding section extends when in its lowermost position.

i. A filing cabinet or tray having a side panel formed in two sections, one section being fixed and the other section being mounted to slide up and down at the inner side of the fixed section substantially parallel thereto to increase or reduce the height of the side wall of the cabinet or tray, and when in its upper position to be moved laterally into the plane of the fixed section.

5. A filing cabinet or tray having a side panel formed in two sections, one section being fixed and the other section being mounted to slide up and down at the inner side of the fixed section to increase or reduce the height or" the side wall of the cabinet or tray and guides to guide the sliding section in its sliding movement, the guides permitting the sliding section to be placed substantially in the plane of the fixed section, when the sliding section is in its upper position.

6. A filing cabinet or tray having a side panel formed in two sections, one section being fixed and the other section being mounted to slide up and down to increase or reduce the height of the side wall of the cabinet or tray and interlocking means between the lower edge of the sliding section and the upper edge of the fixed section.

7. A filing cabinet or tray having a side panel formed in two sections, one section being fixed and the other section being mounted to slide up and down to increase or reduce the height of the side wall of the cabinet or tray, the lower edge of the sliding section being provided with a groove adapted to-engage the upper edgeof the fixed section when the sliding section is in its elevated position.

8. A filing cabinet or trayhaving a side panel termed in two sections, one section being fixed and the, other section being lnounted'to'slide up and down at the inner side of the fixed section to increase or reduce the height of the side wall of the cabinet or tray and inclined guides at the inner side of the sliding section to guide the sliding section in its sliding movement.

9. A filing cabinet or tray having a side panel formed in two sections, one section being fixed and the other section being mounted to slide up and down to increase or reduce the height of the side wall of the cabl net or tray, and the bottom of the cabinet or tray having a channel adjacent to said fixed wall section into which the bottom edge of the sliding section extends when in its lowermost position, and guides adapted to guide the lower edge of the sliding section into said channel.

10. A filing cabinet or tray having a side panel formed in two sections, one section being fixed and the other section being mounted to slide up and down to increase or reduce the height of the side wall of the cabinet or tray and a cover engaging all the upright walls when the sliding section is in its elevated position.

11. A filing cabinet or tray having a side panel formed in two sections, one section being fixed and the other section being mounted to slide up and down to increase or reduce the height of the side wall of the cabinet or tray, a shoulder on the sliding section near its upper edge and shoulders on the other upright walls near their upper edges, and a cover adapted to close down over the upper edges of all the walls to rest upon said shoulders when the sliding section is in elevated position.

12. A filing cabinet or tray comprising end panels and side panels, one of said side panels being formed in two sections, one of said sections being fixed and the other of said sections being vertically slidable with relation thereto, said slidable section being provided upon its lower edge with a groove for engagement with the upper edge of said fixed section, whereby when said slidable section is in its,elevated position the side of said tray is entirely closed, a shoulder formed adjacent the upper edge of said end and side panels and adjacent the upper edge of said slidable section, and a cover for the tray adapted to close down over the upper edge thereof and rest upon said shoulder.

13. A. filing cabinet. or tray comprising end panels and side panels, a shoulder formed exteriorly of said panels adjacent their upper edge curved fingers fixed to certain of the corners of said tray with their free ends projecting above the upper edge of thetray, and a cover for said tray adapted to be guided by said fingers down over the upper edge of the tray to rest upon said shoulder.

14. A filing cabinet or tray comprising end panels and side panels, a shoulder formed iexteriorly of said panels adjacent their upper edge, curved perforated fingers fixed to certain of the corners of said tray with their ends projecting above the upper edge of the tray, a cover for said tray adapted to be guided by said fingers down over the upper edge of the tray to rest upon said shoulder, and projections on the cover cooperating with the perforations of said fingers for locking said cover to said tray.

Signed by me at Ilion NQ Y., this 17th day of October, 1919.

ENOCH OHNSTRAND. 

